MP Nick Boles will fight to safeguard jobs in Stamford

An MP says he is determined to see one of the area’s largest employers stay in Stamford.

Stamford and Bourne MP Nick Boles met bosses at Cummins Generator Technologies last week after the firm announced it was cutting 95 jobs and moving 200 office staff to Peterborough.

The firm is struggling to cope with a drop in global demand. It also wants to remove a number of temporary offices, which house about 150 staff, from its site in Barnack Road.

Mr Boles said he was keen to work with Burghley Estates, which owns the Barnack Road site, and the local authorities to try to keep Cummins in Stamford.

He added: “It is deeply regrettable that their business is suffering quite a substantial loss of sales, particularly in the emerging markets.

“The good news is that they are not in trouble as a company. It is a problem with being an export business. It means you are vulnerable to developments beyond your control.

“I understand that they are running out of space and can’t carry on keeping people in temporary offices.

“Stamford is a precious place but we also need jobs. There must be a way to give them more space connected to their existing site.”

News of the job losses came as a shock to many Cummins staff, particularly as the company had just been awarded a £2m grant from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund. The money will be used for research and development of new technologies and alternative materials over the next five years.

Mr Boles said: “The fund demonstrates a commitment from the Government to making sure Cummins stays in Stamford. The fact that it is for research and development is significant because companies don’t do that unless they are going to stick around.”